My friends and I had shared this bottle last night. None of us had ever had any white wine with more than a few years of bottle age on it, so this was a first. I wanted to ask this sub, based on my drinking experience, if this bottle is typical of a white Burg with 17 years of bottle age, or if it had suffered during its storage.
The color was immediately striking, presenting this deep amber I’ve only ever seen on older Rieslings and Sauternes. I know whites become more rich in color with age, but I was really surprised at this.
The nose: Immediate notes of bruised apple, then with a bit of time in the glass, lemon curd, crème brûlée, toast. The most prominent note was that of oxidized fruit.
Palate: This is where I was super thrown off. Such acidity. I mean lemon tart with lemon curd and a side of candied lemon. Not at all what I was expecting. Maybe a bit of vanilla there? But really, citrus more than anything else, and the texture, not thin, but definitely not full, round, or soft.
Drinking this was a treat if only for the novelty of the experience. The short and simple is that something felt lacking. The nose was dominated by oxidized notes, and though some pleasantness shines through, it all felt a bit unharmonious. As for the palate, it felt a bit one-note, and I would have both expected and preferred more of the citrus/acidity to be resolved.
Does something sound off about the bottle, or is it a matter of personal taste? It may be that a bottle like this is not my cup of tea, at least at this point.
by Traditional_Sky765
15 Comments
Everything sounds right, you might’ve just needed some time to let flesh out with more O2. Wow that’s a fun little bottle to pop
Looks premoxed for sure. Did it taste a bit like pennies? Old white burg often oxidizes before maturity. If it wasn’t premoxed, this bottle would be a 9.5/10 stunner
It sounds a little oxidised. I have some 2009 white bourgogne (last tried two weeks ago) and I don’t get any bruised apple aroma. However, I also drank a 2009 Freestone Vineyards Chardonnay last year and that was oxidised with the aromas you mention.
Although, I would say that even the bourgogne I have I do notice bottle variations, just not big ones. You may just be unlucky, or the bottle wasn’t stored well.
If it happens again you can try decanting for awhile to see if anything unpleasant goes away.
Something to explore is wines where oxidation is an intentional feature. I’m a fan in general, though realize it’s better as an exception. Often mentioned here is Lopez de Heredia. I recommend their Gravonia as an introduction. It could help establish whether you enjoy oxidation in the right context. If not, don’t waste your money on their (amazing) Tondonia blanco. I’ve had many other wonderful adventures in nicely oxidized whites.
Burgundy oxidizes sometimes
Premox hit white burgundy pretty bad in the mid to late 90s all the way to mid to late 2000s. 2007 was also a lighter vintage so might just not have the components for aging long term. You can learn more about this issue in this detailed article https://worldoffinewine.com/news-features/white-burgundy-out-of-the-woods-4717208
Other than sometimes for Riesling, I prefer my whites young and fresh.
Well it’s nearly 20yrs old and when white wine ages it gets darker. Aged red wine gets lighter because the tannins and pigments break out of their protein chains and fall to the bottom. Since white wine has very low amounts of tannin this typically does deepen the color with age. White wines do however get darker due to slow oxidation from the cork. This looks like a well aged Chardonnay and you should probably get loads of tertiary elements on the nose and palate. Aged wine is completely different from young wine. I personally love Chardonnay in the 7-10yr range of age.
OP—based on your description and the shade of the wine in your second picture, it would seem that You’ve ended up with more oxidation here than would be ideal. This bottle ought to be a stunner regardless of whether or not you knew what to expect going in, and your very clear lack of enthusiasm underscores the tasting notes themselves. I’ve had a bunch of bottles like this over the years and the feeling of “incompleteness” was the common thread through all of them. They aren’t entirely ruined per se, but they’re not delivering the enjoyment promised.
It looks in the range of properly aged to me. Maybe could have been slightly better stored but if you are still getting the freshness with only the bruised apple and some slight browning of color, I would say the bottle is showing pretty well.
Sweet summer child, you’ve just discovered the horror that is premox. Does it also have a strong butterscotch note to it, especially on the nose? White burgundy used to reliably age decades if stored properly, then in the mid 90s something started to cause random bottle failures. Three of a case would look that way, or one, or nine. Some producers were worse than others. Some blamed corks, others batonage, others weather, etc. It seems the best answer is Diam or screwcap. It is also becoming an issue in the Loire. Huet and Chidaine have both had some cases of it. I bought a bunch of Chidaine 2014s and almost all were prematurely oxidized.
The other possibility is that this bottle just wasn’t stored well, but given the region I’d guess premox.
I do not believe this is premox. 17 years on a white burgundy will give a gold color. Nothing in the aroma descriptions suggest premox, just expected oxidation after such lengthy bottle age. However, it doesn’t seem like it was a worthy investment, typical of the more expensive Joseph Drouhin wines.
The level shouldn’t be that low. Was it properly stored?
Sounds like premox. Thats a shame bc Clos des Mouches is sublime
The likelihood of premox is high, but it could also be a faulty cork that let in consistent oxygen. A shame really. 🙁